News

Top 5 UX Mistakes Made when Designing for TV

November 8, 2017

Today, viewers rely on Smart TVs, gaming consoles and controllers, OTT services and streaming players such as Roku and Amazon Fire to get their fix. Adding to the fun of it are handy features like remote apps and voice command functions – elements that are quickly becoming the norm. With the rise in popularity of these TV add-ons and features that ensure we can watch the shows and movies we love whenever we want to, comes a unique set of design considerations specifically for TV interfaces.

Whether you’re a UX designer that creates TV products and services or a service provider looking to launch or improve a TV product offering, it’s essential that you familiarize yourself with the do’s and don’ts of 10-foot experience design.

This past Sunday marked the 32nd annual Gémeaux Awards, and we are thrilled to let you know that TFO’s hit music app, BRBR, which was designed and developed by our very-own in-house talent, took home the award for Best Digital Component of a TV Episode or Series!

Mid-February is upon us and while many have Valentine’s Day or winter’s imminent end on their minds, the only thing those of us working in kids’ entertainment can think about is the 2017 edition of the Kidscreen Summit in Miami.

As you may have guessed, LVL is off to the sunshine state to join the industry’s major movers and shakers. As for what’s in our luggage? Over 13 years of media and entertainment technology experience and an extensive portfolio of successful children’s transmedia projects that range from awesome second screen experiences to educational games, engaging apps and more. We certainly aren’t packing light!

LVL is headed to CES 2017 in Las Vegas this January to showcase E2, our rapid app development and deployment solution.

Built within the Unity 3D environment and designed with storefront operations in mind, E2 offers premium content publishers the full set of integrated tools needed to continuously provide modern media consumers with the most innovative viewing experiences.

Great news! APTN’s hit dramedy series Mohawk Girls and its popular second screen experience (SSEX) will be returning to your screens for an all new season on October 25, 2016 at 9:30pm ET/MT. This year, LVL worked with APTN and Rezolution Pictures to develop the SSEX content strategy, then we went on write and design all the interactive content and produce the show’s full SSEX experience, which happens to be powered by our very own Purple platform.

On June 16 at 5 p.m., LVL is launching its first annual Service Design Atelier at the MURAL Festival on St. Laurent. This free event is specifically designed for design lovers, festival enthusiasts and anyone who is curious about how service design can be applied to events.

LVL founder and president Jean-François Gagnon will be speaking at Coming to Your Screens, an annual event-conference bringing together hundreds of professionals from the media world to discuss and share thoughts on the latest trends and innovations in screen content. Jean-François will be speaking on the subject of content distribution and the monetization dilemma, using an analogy based on wholesale versus boutique-style business strategy.

The world of bush pilots holds no mystery now for the viewers of channel Canal-D thanks to the simultaneous experience that accompanies the series Hélico tout terrain 2. Fruit of the collaboration between LVL, CMJ Productions and Canal-D, users discover, through this experience, different facets of the work of these brave men and women who face numerous dangers aboard their fascinating aircrafts.

It’s Week 1 of Capsana’s annual Health Challenge, a six-week event that invites Quebecers to take action for their health. LVL is proud to play its part, both by taking the Challenge ourselves and by contributing behind the scenes to create a better experience, year after year.

On February 17th, Infopresse held a conference on television and the multiscreen experience, exploring how television, mobility and interactivity have generated new forms of dialogue with spectators, changed expectations, and transformed the world of watchable, consumable media.

LVL was pleased to be there to present our watch-along experience solution, and to hear what leaders of the television and media industry had to say about the so-called Golden Age of television and their predictions moving forward.

What is transmedia exactly? It’s considered to be the technique of telling a story, or a story experience, over several platforms and formats using current digital technologies. It’s not the same story told on the different platforms – that would be a mistake. People don’t want repetition; they want an enriching, satisfying, tapestry of experiences. To know what happens before, after, and from a secondary character’s perspective. Exclusive content. The ability to say, “Yes, I know what happens in the TV show, but do you know the whole story?”

How telecommunication companies are adapting to new consumption habits

February 23, 2016

At Infopresse’s Television and Multiscreen conference on February 17th, Bell Canada exposed what the 136-year old telecom has been doing to stay relevant in a changing reality.

While bundling specialty channels, and providing access to Netflix has been an important part of Bell’s strategy for keeping users within their ecosystem, the real star of the show is Bell’s mobile and multiscreen offerings.

LVL is teaming up with PBSC, one of the world leaders in personal alternative urban transportation. One of its greatest successes to date is the renowned Bixi bike system whose kiosks and ubiquitous bikes have taken Montreal, and 19 other locations around the world, by storm.

It’s the only time that what happens in Vegas, won’t stay in Vegas… LVL is going to be at the CES trade show, from January 6 to 9, 2016. We have new ideas and solutions that can generate tangible results, and we can’t wait to spread the word.

Going to be at CES too? Come and meet with us in the spirit of innovation, discovery and mind-blowing products and services.

LVL is proud of having participated in the MTL Cycle Challenge. More than 100 people were present, from 18 different teams. The innovative spirit was in high gear!
LVL’s project, entitled My Biking Companion, won the Hors Catégorie prize and came in second overall in the category Products and Services. My Biking Companion is a tool to allow users to find the safest route to reach their destination, taking into consideration the number of accidents per intersection, traffic, construction, average cyclist speed, bike lanes and even proximity to repair shops and bike racks.

LVL President and Founder Jean-François Gagnon is joining the discussion on content in the age of abundance at the Discoverability Summit in Montreal on December 3. How has discoverability become an important issue and whom does it affect? When facing the discoverability challenge, which strategies work and which ones don’t? Tune in live to find out.

LVL is putting our foot to the pedal at the MTL Cycle Challenge hackathon. Join us as we sprint towards digital solutions on the theme of the bicycle as an instrument of smart urban transportation. The City of Montreal and Bixi are opening up new data sets for the Bixi bike sharing service, including trajectories. What we do with the data is part of the challenge. New services, new apps, or new visualizations? Come to Concordia University's District 3 on November 27 to 29 to find out. It’s free for observers so feel free to check it out and support the cause. Spaces are filling up fast – be sure to reserve your spot!

We are very pleased to announce that the APTN hit series, Mohawk Girls, now offers fans a second screen experience powered by our Purple platform.
The show has never been more exciting to watch with the added value of strategically scheduled and specially designed polls about romantic relationships of the characters as well as their setbacks and successes, quizzes for the super fans of the series, detailed character profiles, unreleased photos and videos, and much more bonus content.

We’re very excited to announce LVL’s participation to Coming to Your Screens, June 3rd 2015 in Montreal. This unique event brings together the industry’s thought leaders to address the latest trends and innovations in the creation, production, broadcasting and distribution of screen-based content.

We are very proud to announce that the second-screen application Hockey Night in Canada has won Best Transmedia Production at the International Media Excellence Awards, held by the AIB (Association for International Broadcasting) that took place in London (UK) on November 6th ,2013.

The Hockey Night in Canada is a unique application was designed and developed by LVL, in collaboration with TVPlus, for CBC Sports, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Hockey Night in Canada show. Members of the AIB jury have emphasized the quality of the application with the following comment: “An excellent example of a second screen app adding value with a range of unique interactive features.”

We are very excited to report that the second screen application for the very popular show Les enfants de la télé, is nominated for a prix Gémeaux, in the “Best Digital Production for a comedy or variety show”. We are proud to have worked with Fair Play to bring this rich experience to the shows fans.

Powered by our Purple platform, the application is available on tablet and smartphone, giving fans exclusive content, quizzes and a view of the set during commercial breaks.

LVL is very proud to have contributed to the creation of this extraordinary project.

Idéacom International, TV5 Québec Canada, France Télévisions and LVL have launched the interactive experience, Apocalypse 10 Lives. Available on iPad and online, the experience drops users at the heart of the Great War, through the lives or women and men that lived these dark years in their own way. These characters, that come from different countries and have very different backgrounds, show users aspects of the war that go well beyond armed confrontations and trenches. Through their lives, inspired by actual events, users travel the world and witness events, ranging from everyday things to the great political and social reversals of the budding 20th century.

LVL Shortlisted for Best Interactive Content at the Prix d’Excellence Francophone

April 8, 2014

It is our great pleasure to announce that two LVL projects have been short-listed for the Youth Media Alliance’s “prix d’excellence francophone”. “Sur la piste des jumelles” and “L’appart du 5e” will be going head-to-head in the Best Interactive Content – ages 7+ category.

For the show “Sur la piste des jumelles”, we have created (with Balestra Interactif) a beautifully illustrated mobile app, to take youngsters on a quest to discover places, people and events that have made modern-day Ontario.

Attending the NAB Show this year? So are we, and we’d love to meet you there

March 26, 2014

From April 6th to 9th, discover how LVL can help you build a story around your story. Meet our team during the NAB Show and get a sneak peek at what we have in store for 2014.

Come and see some of our latest innovations in experience, design, and development, all made to help our customers enhance their stories, their coverage, their channels, their services… to create the richest experience possible.

We are proud to announce the release of Purple 1.5, with updates that will help TV broadcasters and producers deliver enhanced second-screen experience creations, for better viewer experiences.

Version 1.5 enhances the social behaviour of Live Apps, a capability that delivers interactive second-screen content synced to television programs. The release also includes enhancements to the Purple content tools (CMS), with features to let broadcasters and content creators build & test synced content playlists quickly and easily as well as significant Visual Program Guide (VPG) enhancements.

For TURN, its new series about the first American spy-ring (starting April 6th 2014), AMC enlisted the services of trusted collaborators at LVL. The two have previously collaborated on AMC’s Story Sync, the second screen companion experience for the hit series The Walking Dead.

“When AMC approached us to work on this new series, we brought both our experience in second-screen applications and our award-winning design team,” noted LVL’s president and CEO, Jean-François Gagnon. “We think the results of our work on The Walking Dead speak for themselves.”

From June 8th to 11th, discover how LVL can help you build a story around your story. Meet our team during the Banff World Media Festival and hear what we have in store with interactive experiences for 2014.

We invite you to contact us for a chance to see some of our latest innovations in interactive experience, design, and development, all made to help our customers enhance their stories, their coverage, their channels, their services… to create the richest experience possible. Or just come by to say hello!

LVL put its expertise to work on one of the biggest conspiracy theories of our time and created the interactive portion of the documentary film JFK: The Smoking Gun. The 2 hour docu-drama, produced by Muse Entertainment, in partnership with Discovery and Bell Media, will be distributed in Canada, the US and in Australia.

Using the evidence available, which was analysed with forensic tools more advanced than those used at the time, the documentary exposes a new theory on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.